As geothermal specialists, we are dedicated to improving our industry. Because we do not supply the oil or natural gas industries, we are able to commit ourselves to your geothermal needs and focus on your business. All purchase orders are processed within 24 hours and we offer same day shipping on all products in stock from our facility in Minnesota. In the geothermal heat pump industry, many distributors are frustrated with the slow pace of response to market demands. Founded in 2010, it is our mission to reverse this pattern by expanding our geothermal product line. Our top priority is, and always will be, to communicate with, listen to, and adapt to the needs of our customers.
Ground Energy Systems specializes in bringing your idea from concept to market (through design, prototyping, testing, production, delivery). We successfully developed and delivered the patent pending Geo-Glide PE Fittings line, specifically engineered to facilitate the speed and appearance of insulated geothermal HDPE Piping systems, while reducing pressure drop. Currently, we have several other new proprietary, patented product concepts in the development stage. It is the trust our customers have in us that allows us to service you better.
GES Fittings Benefits:
- All GES geothermal fittings are manufactured from PE100/PE4710 resin. PE100/PE4710 (the highest current HDPE ratings) are compatible with PE3408, PE3608, PE100, and PE4710 pipe, all of which are currently used in geothermal heat pump jobs, and therefore is suitable for any geothermal installation.
- Each GES fitting has the material, date of manufacture, SKU #, and relevant ASTM marking printed directly on the fitting, rather than applying a sticker post-production.
- GES molds a texture onto the surface of each fitting to provide friction for a better grip while fusing in the field.
- The texture on all GES fittings gives the surface of the product a uniform, consistent look, erasing the non-uniform swirl inherent in all other injection molded HDPE and particularly PE100.
Why geothermal?
Free geothermal energy can be found all over the world. The ground serves as an excellent collector of solar heat, absorbing up to 47% of the sun’s energy. When harnessed properly, geothermal technologies will create substantial energy savings from Day 1. Up to 70% of a home’s energy bill is often attributed to heating, cooling, and hot water heating. Geothermal technologies provide users a great opportunity to reduce energy consumption and monthly expenses in all of the above, using just one system. Geothermal heat pump (ground source heat pump) technology is based on the concept of heat transfer. Instead of burning fuel to generate heat, heat pumps simply deliver and concentrate existing heat from where it is abundant (in this case, underground) to where you need it – inside your building.
What are the benefits?
- Geothermal heat pumps consume significantly less energy than conventional HVAC systems because they are drawing free energy from the earth. Electricity is used to power the equipment’s pump, compressor, and fan, while the earth’s stored energy does the rest. Many geothermal heat pumps deliver over four units of energy for every unit of energy consumed. The EPA has estimated that geothermal systems can save homeowners 30-70% and 20-50% on their heating and cooling costs, respectively, relative to conventional HVAC systems.
- Geothermal heat pumps are very effective at providing consistent and conditioned air. In the heating application, users experience warm air without the hot blasts associated with ordinary gas furnaces. Additionally, the distributed air from a geothermal heat pump is warmer than the distributed air coming from an air-source heat pump. When cooling, a geothermal unit delivers cool, dehumidified air.
- A single geothermal system heats and cools a building and produces hot water. Indoor placement of this system eliminates exposure to the elements, which often adversely affects the system operation, maintenance costs, and lifetime. The HDPE pipe, elbows, tees, and couplings in the pipe loop come with a 50 year warrantee.
- Most geothermal heat pumps come equipped with a desuperheater, which captures waste heat from the building in summer and transfers it to the water storage tank for free hot water. In the winter, the heat pump will transfer some of the underground heat to the water storage tank. Water heating costs can be reduced up to 60%! The desuperheater consists of a refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger, where the cool water draws heat from the refrigerant and circulates back and forth from the water storage tank.
- No natural gas, propane, or oil is used to operate a geothermal heat pump, which means no fossil fuel exhaust or greenhouse gases are being emitted into the atmosphere.
- The outdoor components, namely high density polyethylene (HDPE) geothermal fittings and piping, are all buried underground. There are no noisy and unattractive outdoor units, and there is no condensation build-up on window AC units. Additionally, fewer moving parts means fewer potential problems and greater reliability.
- For every unit of energy required to drive the system, 3-5 units of energy are delivered to heat the building, significantly more efficient than conventional heating systems.
- Geothermal heat pumps can operate effectively and efficiently anywhere in North America, no matter how big or small the project, for new construction or retrofit, commercial or residential. Geothermal heat pumps come in different sizes and can be installed in different configurations, depending on local soil conditions, available space, and public regulations. Applications include homes, offices, schools, hospitals, government buildings, military bases, retail centers, malls, and sports arenas.
- Proper installation of geothermal equipment requires the work of local dealers, contractors, and installers.
How is a geothermal heat pump system installed?
Geothermal systems can be installed in an open loop, closed loop, or direct exchange (DX) configuration. Specialized installers decide among the different configurations depending on geological conditions, heating/cooling load, type of space to be heated/cooled, supply temperature from underground, and availability of ground water. Typically, installers will fuse socket fusion fittings such as tees, elbows, and couplings, with piping for residential systems and fuse butt fusion fittings with piping for commercial systems.
- Horizontal Loop: Where adequate land space is available, horizontal loop installations are very common. Installers dig trenches 6-8 feet deep, install geothermal fittings and piping several hundred feet in length, and backfill the trench with a sealing solution. The land area required for horizontal ground loops will range from 1500-3000 square feet per ton of heating/cooling depending on soil properties and earth temperatures.
- Vertical Loop: This configuration is generally used in installations where land area is limited, and almost always in retrofits. Installers will drill boreholes of 150-400 feet in depth, install parallel polyethylene pipes, connected at the terminus of the hole by a U-Bend fitting, and backfill the holes with a sealing solution consisting of grout and sand. Each vertical pipe is then connected to a horizontal underground pipe via a manifold that carries fluid in a closed system to and from the indoor exchange unit. Vertical loops are generally more expensive to install, but require less piping than horizontal loops because the earth’s temperature is more stable far below the surface. Vertical ground loops typically require 150-300 square feet of land area per system ton of heating/cooling capacity.
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